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Heads Up

Strike watch: AREX work-to-rule goes on, Busan subway strike called off

Reported 2026-10-13 / Posted 2026-10-14 Updated · 2026-10-23 · Compiled from an AREX press release and Korean media reports · By
Updated · 2026-10-23

Busan subway strike called off, AREX work-to-rule goes on (October 23 update)

After overnight talks, Busan Transportation Corporation and its union reached a tentative deal at about 00:48 on October 23, calling off the strike planned from that day. The subsidiary workers' branch also dropped its strike, and trains have run normally since the first train (News1, October 23). The deal still needs union approval. AREX's work-to-rule continues, with no strike date set so far (Bridge Economy, October 19).

Updated · 2026-10-20

Busan subway strike set for October 22–23, AREX work-to-rule goes on (October 20 update)

Workers at a Busan Transportation Corporation subsidiary plan to strike from October 22, and the corporation's own staff are to join them in a joint strike from October 23, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on October 19. No Busan emergency timetable has been published. At AREX, the union says the October 15 talks brought no workable offer, so its work-to-rule continues, with no strike date set (Bridge Economy, October 19).

AREX's union began a work-to-rule on October 12 and is still on it, but Busan Metro's union called off its October 23 strike after a last-minute deal. Busan subway trains are running normally. If you fly out of Incheon in late October, build in spare time and know your backup route.

Empty subway platform with glass platform screen doors on the left, a yellow tactile strip and blue-and-white pillars
File photo: A Line 2 platform at Suyeong Station on the Busan Metro, 2018.Photo: Suyeong station Busan metro line2 platform 20180317 214150 by Dongchan0417 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized

The essentials

  • Lines: AREX (공항철도), linking Incheon Airport and Seoul Station; the Busan subway, run by Busan Transportation Corporation (부산교통공사).
  • October 15: AREX and its union met again, but the union says no workable offer came, so its work-to-rule goes on.
  • October 22–23: after final talks at the Nopo depot (노포차량사업소) ran late into the night of October 22, Busan's management and union reached a tentative deal at about 00:48 on October 23. The union and the subsidiary workers' branch both called off their strikes, and trains have run normally since the first train that day. The deal still needs union approval.
  • November 2–5: other unions in a national rail and subway council that includes AREX's branch hold a joint strike vote (Railway Economy, October 8).
  • Status: no AREX strike date has been announced; the Busan strike is off.

What happened

The AREX union, the Airport Railroad branch of the KPTU (공공운수노조 공항철도지부), began with the first train on October 12 after wage and collective-agreement talks broke down. Drivers now hold the full 30-second stop even at quiet stations, have dropped the customary cover shifts and take the rest they are owed, Kyeongin Ilbo reported on October 13.

It is the line's first industrial action since it opened in March 2007, the paper said. On day one, three or four morning rush-hour trains ran 3–4 minutes late and the rest ran normally, AREX told Hankook Ilbo. On October 13, Kyeongin Ilbo reported morning rush-hour delays of 3–4 minutes, then 1–2 minutes until about noon.

AREX says eight rounds of talks since July 28 have produced no deal. The union wants better pay and conditions for lower grades and more safety staff, OBS and Hankook Ilbo reported.

In Busan, the union says 755 more staff are needed to meet legal safety standards, plus workers for the Yangsan line due to open at year-end, and better pay. Regional labor-commission mediation ended on September 29, giving the union the legal right to strike (Seoul Shinmun).

Union members began an indefinite sit-in outside Busan City Hall on October 13, and subsidiary workers plan to join the strike, News1 reported on October 14.

What changes if the strikes go ahead

AREX is an essential-service workplace, so it must keep a minimum service. In a strike, Bridge Economy reported, the company plans normal rush-hour service using essential staff and expects to run about 71% of all-stop trains and 57% of express trains at other times. Those are company estimates for a strike day, not current figures.

AREX says a CEO-led response team would start at once, with any service changes posted on its website and announced in stations. In Busan, the strike was called off on October 23, so normal service continues.

Before you travel

  • Flying out of Incheon: check the AREX site on your travel day and allow time for a slower train. Airport buses and taxis are compared in our Incheon Airport to Seoul guide.
  • In Busan later this month: the subway is running normally; the Busan Transportation Corporation site posts any service notices.
  • Route around problems: Naver Map and KakaoMap plan bus and subway trips in English (our apps guide).

Our verdict

The airport line is the smaller worry: even in a strike, AREX would protect commuting hours, so the risk sits with off-peak trips, the express most of all. With an off-peak express booked close to a flight, leave earlier or take a bus. Busan's strike is off. The AREX union threatens a full strike if no real offer comes; no date is set.

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